Campaign 2012

Perry: Cain Needs to Address Allegations

On Fox and Friends, Perry calls on Cain to address reports of rumor.

Hermain Cain “needs to address these allegations,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said of the reports that his fellow GOP presidential contender had a 13-year affair and was “reassessing” his campaign.

“That’s the bottom line,” Perry said in an appearance on Fox and Friends on Wednesday morning. “He needs to address the allegations, and if they’re true he has to address that with the people of this country.”

It was the first time Perry addressed the most recent accusations against Cain. When the Atlanta businessman was dogged by allegations of past sexual harassment last month, Perry said he preferred to leave the issue alone until something was proven.

The hosts also pressed Perry on what he would do with illegal immigrants living in the U.S., a topic he had said he refused to discuss until the border was secure. He continued to dodge, saying that he wanted to “listen to the American people” on the issue and have a discussion with Congress.

Perry also avoided commenting on fellow candidate Newt Gingrich’s plan to create a “red card” system to legalize people in the country without papers while denying them a chance at citizenship. The Texas governor only had this to offer: “I’m not for amnesty in any form or fashion.”

Addressing a gaffe he made during a town hall in New Hampshire on Tuesday — during which he incorrectly said the voting age was 21 and the date of the election Nov. 12 — Perry made light of the mistake. “From time to time, we all will get something wrong. The president of the United States said there was 57 states one day.”

But not even this interview was gaffe-free; Perry accidentally referred to the “New Hampshire caucuses,” though the state has a primary system. Oops.